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Two Cordoned Urns from Fan y Big, Brecon Beacons, Powys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

C. Stephen Briggs ,
William J. Britnell  and
Alex M. Gibson
C. Stephen Briggs
Affiliation:
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments, Edleston House, Queen's Road, Aberysrwyth, Dyfed SY23 2HP
William J. Britnell
Affiliation:
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, 7a Church Street, Welshpool, Powys SY21 7DL
Alex M. Gibson
Affiliation:
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, 7a Church Street, Welshpool, Powys SY21 7DL
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Extract

Late in November 1981, Mr M. Wright of the Danywenallt Centre, Talybont, noticed fragments of prehistoric pottery and an associated cremation burial in an area eroded by walkers in the pathway on Fan y Big (SO 03712057; fig. 1). The site lies at a height of 655 m on one of the denuded spurs of the northern escarpment of the Beacons (pl. 12). The find itself lay next to a small dry-stone beacon about 1 m high, on the knife-edge of the spur and less than 10m away from the precipitous cliffs which drop away for about 100 m to either side. Behind the spur, to the south, is a slight plateau covered in eroding peat hags with a little cotton grass.

The ground was frozen at the time of the discovery to a depth of about 3 cm, and the obvious vulnerability of the pottery to destruction by the weather or the passage of human feet necessitated immediate action to preserve it. A small excavation team supervised by C. S. Briggs was hastily assembled to undertake this task in bitter weather several days later.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 56 , 1990 , pp. 173 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1990

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References

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